frail

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfrāl 

1

: easily broken or destroyed : fragile

… frail, open-cockpit biplanes …

—Jonathan Weiner

2

a

: physically weak

a frail old woman

a frail voice

b

: slight, unsubstantial

… smiled a minute frail smile.

—Raymond Chandler

3

: easily led into evil

frail humanity

frailly

ˈfrā(l)-lē 

adverb

frailness noun

frailness

2 of 2

noun

frail·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being frail

the frailness of the child from birth made her susceptible to every prevailing illness

a frailness of character, a tendency to give up easily

Synonyms of frail

Adjective

• fragile
• delicate

Choose the Right Synonym for frail

weak, feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, decrepit mean not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort.

weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort.

felt weak after the surgery

feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt.

a feeble attempt to walk

frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure.

a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports

fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage.

a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world

infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or disabling illness.

infirm residents requiring constant care

decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age.

the dowager's decrepit retainers

Examples of frail in a Sentence

Adjective

In his old age his health became increasingly frail.

a small and frail ship

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Castro looked frail and thinner In his traditional olive-green fatigues, but was seen walking, standing and talking. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026

Under the contract that expired June 30, UCLA had been providing specialty care to 9,000 medically frail patients from Health Care LA, an association of nonprofit clinics that serve patients covered by Medi-Cal, the state program for the poor. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Though Steinem had recently become more frail physically, her wit and humor remained totally intact. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Up there, the wind is your neighbor, whistling through the walls and frail window panes. — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English frele, frayle, borrowed from Anglo-French frel, fraile, going back to Latin fragilis "liable to break, weak" — more at fragile

Noun

Middle English frelenesse, freelnesse, frailnesse, from frele, freel, frail + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for frail

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail
• jail

Kids Definition

frail

adjective

ˈfrā(ə)l 

1

: easily led into evil

frail humanity

2

: fragile

3

: not having normal strength or force

spoke in a frail voice

frailly

ˈfrā(ə)l-lē 

adverb

frailness noun